Figs by Todd English, the casual dining concept founded by award-winning celebrity chef and restaurateur Todd English, announced it is now franchising with the help of Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company, to bring its original thin crust pizza and authentic Italian cuisine across the globe.
Originally launched in the historic Charlestown neighborhood in Boston, Figs already has a successful international footprint to build from, with four existing corporate locations throughout the United States and three in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Together with Fransmart, the concept is seeking experienced franchisees to expand the rapidly-growing concept to major markets worldwide.
“I first saw Figs 10 years ago and saw it as a 1,000 plus unit neighborhood pizza, pasta, wine bar and have been chasing Todd ever since,” says Dan Rowe, CEO of Fransmart. “Figs is already a successful international brand with a footprint that will be easy to build on.”
Renowned celebrity chef Todd English envisions Figs as a replication of his humble beginnings in Italy while delivering on his passion for pizza, of which he describes as a pizza obsession. With a neighborhood feel, Figs is designed to be a place where you can frequent a high-quality pizza at a reasonable price.
The concept’s claim to fame is that it never serves a perfectly round pizza, but rather an imperfectly perfected dough that creates the quintessential thin crust Italian pizza. According to English, pizza is all about the crust – it makes or breaks the pizza. He describes the Figs crust as crunchy with a little chew and lots of flavor. The freeform shape and finely crisped quality is achieved with special dough-making technique and precise cooking time at a very high temperature.
“When I was learning to cook in Italy, I had no money and pizza was all I could afford at the time,” says English.
“The other chefs and I would frequent a family run pizzeria and enjoy a nice bottle of wine with our meal. Nothing brings people together like pizza, and this feeling of comfort and warmth is at the heart of Figs. I look forward to sharing this experience with pizza lovers worldwide.”
Figs has partnered with Fransmart, an industry-leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers and Fries, The Halal Guys, and Qdoba Mexican Grill, as their exclusive franchise development partner to grow the brand. The concept is currently looking for experienced multi-unit foodservice operators to develop franchise territories in top markets across the globe.
